


No Excuses

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 09:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: Even after Marinette and Adrien finally start dating, they still had to be ready to leap apart at a moment’s notice to save Paris.Of course, finding the right excuse can be all that much harder when the one you love knows you all too well.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 46
Kudos: 471





	No Excuses

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to hopedespite and cherrybomb_marichat for beta reading.
> 
> A bit of a belated Christmas present here while I keep working on the other, longer holiday piece.

In the end, it was _always_ going to be inevitable.

Adrien and Marinette flinched, glancing at each other as the familiar alert notification chirped on both of their phones. 

As always, Hawkmoth had the worst possible timing.

Adrien stood up first, bracing his hands on either side of the tiny hallway storage closet as he opened the door and peeked out. With no sign of an Akuma, he stepped back inside, pressing his hands on her shoulders. “Stay here. You’ll be safe.” He said with a determined look on his face. 

Marinette nodded, biting her lip as she glanced anxiously around the closet. “What about you?” 

“If I don’t get back to my bodyguard, Father will ground me.” He winced. While it wasn’t exactly the truth, it wasn't far from it either. If his father ever found out that he ran across Paris’s rooftops almost every day, things wouldn’t look pretty for him.

Determined, Marinette rose up on her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “Go, then. It’s better to make sure we can have our date later.”

With one quick, final glance over his shoulder, Adrien ducked down the nearest empty hallway, as the rest of the school was racing out into the courtyard below.

“Plagg, claws out,” he murmured, letting the magic rush over him. 

Setting his jaw, Chat Noir vaulted up to the rooftop. He had to wrap up this battle quick, so he could get back to Marinette.

He barely missed the closet door open as he leaped out of sight.

* * *

Marinette sighed, staring up as the door closed behind him. 

“Well,” Tikki beamed as she flitted up out of Marinette’s purse. “ _That_ was certainly convenient.”

“You’re telling me,” Marinette whispered, looking quickly over the details of the news alert. “After months of making excuses with Luka, it’s kind of a welcome relief to not have to worry about coming up with something believable. I’m sure he was really starting to doubt all those bakery emergencies by the end…” 

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Tikki sympathized. It was such a shame that Ladybug’s identity had to be kept secret, or else their loved ones could be endangered.

Marinette simply shrugged, tossing her phone into her purse. “It can’t really be helped.”

Beaming, Tikki disappeared into a flash of light as she called out, “Tikki, spots on!”

* * *

Ladybug raced across the rooftops, zeroing in on Chat Noir’s position.

After literal years of pining after him, it wasn’t fun that she and Adrien had been forced to sneak around to steal a few moments alone together. But all of the plotting and planning to confess to Adrien meant that half the class was monitoring their every move like a bunch of hawks.

Worse, Lila and Chloe had both managed to get themselves akumatized again. So, she wasn’t about to make either herself or Adrien a target.

Right now, though, neither of them had openly admitted to dating. Not after Gabriel Agreste had made a giant, public stunt out of Kagami not following his very strict rules. 

Right before she had been Akumatized again…

Ladybug sighed. Kagami deserved better than that. So did Adrien.

Obviously, she knew there was no way that they could date outside of school. They couldn’t be openly obvious in school, either. 

Lucky for them both, she happened to have a surprisingly thorough knowledge of every cabinet and corner in the whole of the campus.

Ladybug pouted as she zoomed past one of Adrien’s lovely billboards. If anyone was used to secrets, it was her. But this was one secret that she hated having to keep. She wanted nothing more than to proudly shout the fact that they were finally, _finally_ dating from every rooftop in Paris. 

But for now, the only way she could protect him was to clip this Akuma’s wings _fast_.

Then she just had to hope that he would find her again before the next set of classes started.

* * *

Exhausted and breathing heavily, Ladybug and Chat Noir slumped in a tired, messy pile after a two-hour fight.

“That took,” Chat Noir wheezed, “Way, _way_ too long.”

“You’re telling me…” Ladybug shook her head, laying an arm over her eyes. It had taken them each two whole transformations and refuel cycles before Ladybug could snag the Akuma and send her Lucky Charm flying. “I could _really_ use a nap.”

He chuckled, before sitting up suddenly. “Oh no! I forgot about my girlfriend.”

Slowly, Ladybug sat up, confused. “I thought you said you had broken up with your girlfriend.”

Chat Noir smiled, pulling his baton free of his holster. “Things didn’t work out with the first girl. Wasn’t really her fault, though. It can’t be easy to be dating a superhero.”

She grinned from ear to ear at him. That was perhaps the understatement of the year. “You found someone else then?”

His eyes grew soft and distant, looping the baton behind his shoulders for a lengthy stretch. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible. I didn't think she liked me. Not as anything more than a friend, at least.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Slowly rising to her feet, Ladybug tilted her head in confusion as she glanced up at him. 

He chuckled ruefully. “I knew she liked Chat Noir. Who wouldn’t like a superhero?” He shook his head, marvel and wonder clear in his distant gaze. “But she… this amazing girl saw all of me, flaws and all, and still thought I was worth her precious time.”

Ladybug grinned, tugging him into a warm hug. “I’m really happy for you, Chaton.” 

“Me, too. I’m being really careful this time.” Chat Noir grinned. “ _Purr _haps, I’m learning.”__

____

“I mean, you had to grow into those kitten paws sometime.” She chided with an indelicate snort.

__

“Speaking of _paws_ , I really must run, My lady,” he quipped with an exaggerated salute and wink. “After all, I can’t keep my princess waiting in a closet.”

__

Without another word, he vaulted over to the rooftop across the street. 

__

“Wha—” Ladybug blinked… and then blinked again before taking careful note of the direction he was headed. _Princess?_

__

“There’s no way…” She inhaled sharply, swinging her yoyo out on instinct, racing as fast as her battle-weary muscles would carry her across Paris before her timer expired.

__

* * *

__

With a slim smile, Adrien touched down on the rooftop, checking to make sure the coast was clear before he dropped down near the empty corridor. The hazy glow of green light spiraled around him after he landed. With one final, hasty glance from side to side to make sure the coast was clear, Adrien whistled innocently as he slowly walked back to their closet hideaway. Just in case, he stuck close to the walls as much as possible so he wouldn’t be spotted.

__

Classes had ended, but fencing practice was well underway.

__

Grinning, Adrien reached out for the closet door handle. After that long battle, it was just a shame that he’d have to skip today’s practice and rest up by cuddling with Marinette. 

__

He could only hope she hadn’t gotten tired and headed off home once the Akuma had been defeated.

__

Unable to wait a millisecond more, Adrien opened the closet door.

__

He gasped audibly. 

__

Of the many possible things he’d expected to find behind the closet door, a breathless Ladybug hadn’t been one of them.

__

“What?” he managed eloquently before she reached out and grabbed his hand, hauling him inside. “ _Ladybug_?”

__

His eyes widened, noticing the soft pink glow of her magic fading. 

__

Flailing, his hands scrambled to cover his eyes. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to see.”

__

He heard her chuckle softly beside him. “You shouldn’t be sorry, _Chaton_ ,” she murmured.

__

He inhaled sharply, hands still locked firmly on his face.

__

Gently, her hands reached up and covered his before tugging them down between them both. “You should be glad we won’t need any more excuses with one another.”

__

She squeezed his hands encouragingly. “You can look, Adrien.”

__

Finally, he dared to look at his now detransformed partner.

__

To find Marinette, blue eyes dancing with mischief, gazing up at him with weary relief.

__

“ _Marinette_?” He murmured, the single word imbued with every ounce of reverence and adoration.

__

She nodded finally, still breathing a little hard.

__

Gleefully, he picked her up, hugging and spinning her around in delight.

__

His eyes were closed, his lips matched perfectly with hers — even if they did bumps noses slightly from his sheer enthusiasm.

__

Finally, he dared to drawback, just enough to press his forehead to hers. “I can’t believe it is really _you_.” 

__

Her soft chuckle was peppered with coughs. 

__

Ever-so-gently, he patted her back. 

__

“I could barely catch my breath once I realized exactly what you had said,” Marinette admitted, leaning against his chest. “Either I was right and you would be worried when you couldn’t find me here, or I was wrong and Adrien was about to be very confused and disappointed.” 

__

His hand rubbed her back comfortingly. 

__

She shook her head. “Either way, I didn’t want to let either of you down, and it was clear my time was running out.”

__

Chuckling softly, Adrien whispered. “Guess I shouldn’t have raced all the way here.” 

__

“I could definitely have used the head start,” Marinette laughed. “But I’ll give you an A for enthusiasm. After all, you _were_ trying to reach me.”

__

His hand lifted to cradle Marinette’s cheek. “It really _has_ been you and me against the world all along, hasn’t it?”

__

Her hand covered his, leaning into it as she laughed whole-heartedly. “I just wish the world would let us both rest for a little while.” 

__

His lips pressed to her forehead. “I think that can be arranged. For a little while at least.”

__


End file.
